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Well, who could have ever seen this one coming?!
When SmackDown Live went on air tonight, all the talk was of Becky Lynch's status for Survivor Series - but in what would become one of the most insane episodes of SmackDown, well, arguably of all time, we ended up with a new WWE Champion and a new opponent for Brock Lesnar this Sunday.
AJ Styles would come to the ring to cut a promo, only to be interrupted by Paul Heyman. It didn't take long for Styles' most recent title defense to come to the fore - and Daniel Bryan wasn't too pleased with his name being banded about. The Yes Man would warn Styles not to say his name again, to which The Phenomenal One tempted fate and an all-out brawl ensued. That brawl would continue backstage and Shane McMahon would grant Styles his wish - to defend the title so he could get his hands on Daniel Bryan.
Well, the main event was set - AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship - and these guys left it all in the ring. A near 30-minute match of extreme physicality would see AJ Styles 371-day reign as Champion come to an end, and give us the dream match of Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Bryan on Sunday at Survivor Series!
Daniel Bryan would win the match via nefarious means, though, evading a Phenomenal Forearm from Styles meaning The Phenomenal One would incapacitate the referee, allowing Bryan to hit Styles with a Low Blow before hitting the Running Knee for the win - and even assaulting Styles after the match!
In a crazy twist of fate, AJ Styles would win his WWE Championship on SmackDown Live last year in Manchester just a week and change before Survivor Series, and drop it this year on SmackDown Live one week after SmackDown Live in Manchester on the go-home show to Survivor Series.
So, Daniel Bryan will now face off against Brock Lesnar this Sunday at Survivor Series. Is this match an upgrade or a downgrade? Let us know in the comments.
